The Secretary of Education shall establish the standards and the requirements that shall be met by the educational institutions that request a license. These standards shall include the following minimum requirements that must be met by the petitioning institutions upon requesting the license:
(a) Permit for the use of the physical plant issued by the corresponding government agency, when applicable.
(b) The faculty of the institution must have the necessary educational preparation and experience; Provided, however, That the institution shall show evidence of the educational preparation of its professors, taking into account the particular nature and objectives of each private educational institution, under one of the following criteria:
(1) That he has the corresponding teaching certificate issued by the Secretary of Education.
(2) That in accordance with the particular nature and objectives of each educational institution and in harmony with the human resources available in Puerto Rico, the petitioning institution shows that the proposed faculty has the necessary academic degree or the proper professional experience that is compatible with the practice and standards prevailing in the academic community for that type of petitioning institution, in which case the Secretary is hereby empowered to issue a provisional teacher’s certificate.
(3) That he holds a master’s degree or Ph.D in the corresponding academic field, in which case the Secretary is hereby empowered to issue a provisional teacher’s certificate.
(c) That it has the facilities, equipment, library and laboratory services in the proportion that is compatible with the objectives and nature of the petitioning educational institution.
(d) The existence of an educational plan or academic program and the ways and means in which said plan shall be implemented.
(e) That it holds the corresponding permits from the government agencies with respect to the protection of the health and safety of the students.
(f) An economic viability study that shows that the petitioning institution can reasonably comply with all the commitments to be contracted with respect to all the components of the institution, or otherwise, present a compliance bond to the Secretary valid for not less than one year, issued by an insurer authorized to do business in Puerto Rico. Said compliance bond must be renewed annually, and it shall be the obligation of the petitioning institution to keep it in effect at all times and to present evidence of its effectiveness and renewal at least thirty (30) days prior to its expiration.
(g) A copy of the institutional regulations regarding:
(1) Academic matters;
(2) student affairs;
(3) administrative matters, and
(4) fiscal matters.
Provided, That the Secretary cannot impose on the private educational institution a regulatory determination in the previously indicated areas if they adjust to the applicable local and federal laws and regulations.
(h) Information on the administrative address of the institution, the Board of Directors, its chief executive and other officials, as well as the type of organization.
History —May 10, 1976, No. 31, p. 78, added as § II-3 on June 30, 1988, No. 49, p. 220, § 2.